The image of Lord Jagannath on display during the Sri Jagannath celebration at the Fremont Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in Fremont Saturday Mar. 7, 2009. The sacred image of Lord Jagannath, which means Lord of the Universe, was formally installed in the temple this past week.

It's not every day you get to breathe life into a god in a room full of others from your hometown — a mere 8,000 miles across the globe.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Pratik Mishra, 15, who attends St. Francis High School in Mountain View. "This is a big deal."

The big deal was a cultural and consecration ceremony this weekend at the Fremont Hindu Temple and Cultural Center. On Saturday, priests chanted ancient prayers, and the day before had sprinkled clarified butter onto flames, in a ritual many believe turned a deity called Lord Jagannath into a living god — one of 330 million in the Hindu religion, a number that represents that God is everywhere. The smell of smoke still lingered outside the temple.

Crowds ranging from 250 to 1,000 people have been gathering at the Bay Area's oldest Hindu temple since Tuesday, placing coconuts and fruit before the statue of Lord Jagannath, while also bathing him, brushing his teeth and putting him to sleep. He is considered to be "lord of the universe" and his wide-open eyes indicate to believers that he can see all things. The English term "juggernaut" comes from his Sanskrit name.

"We grew up with religion and spirituality at home," said Kashinath Mitra, 52, who was born in Orissa on the eastern coast of India, where the holiest Indian temple dedicated to Jagannath resides. "This event kindles that. This reminds you of being a child and going to the temple. It reminds you of the good old days."

Mitra estimates that about 300 families in Silicon Valley emigrated from Orissa, one of the lesser-known Indian states. Coupled with relative affluence gleaned from careers as scientists, doctors and engineers, Mitra and others were able to solicit about $80,000 in donations over the last two years. That money went to create a three-statue set and to pay for flights to get the materials and priests from India to the Bay Area. Donations also paid for Saturday's opulent free vegetarian luncheon and the cultural programs.

Cultural celebrations also marked the religious chanting and praying. Women sang and clacked small cymbals. Men pounded on drums. Little girls hopped about, gleeful to be wearing heavy makeup and jangly ankle bracelets as part of their dance.

With this consecration, Lord Jagannath now joins about 20 other Hindu gods at the Fremont temple, including some of the more well-known names such as Lord Shiva, Lord Rama and Lakshmi.

Triloki Pandey, an anthropology professor at University of California-Santa Cruz, explained that belief in the multitude of Hindu gods can be interpreted as the representation of the infinite power of God, experienced in all things and beings.
"Humans give life to God," Pandey said. "The divine exists because humans are here."
Even those who were not necessarily religious, came to the event simply to see friends and connect with others, especially if they hailed from Orissa. Families trekked from Nevada and Phoenix just to witness the spiritual event with others from their native land.

"There are so many people here," said Anita Samantaray, 30, of Los Altos. "It makes me proud."